She is the Sunlight
by renzie17
Summary: "Love is not about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship. It's not about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build till the end." -anonymous Sometimes life gives you the best of moments, sometimes the worst.


**SHE IS THE SUNLIGHT**

_Love is not about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship. It's not about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build till the end._

_-anonymous_

I picked up the snacks I made for myself on my way out of the kitchen. I grabbed my car keys and locked the front door to my house—our house; or the house _we_ used to live in with our two kids.

Yes, I have children. A few people couldn't believe it either. They'd say I looked too young; maybe I am. I married at a very young age. But that was a long time ago. They'd said it was a foolish decision, but that assumption turned out wrong. My children were over at my best friend's house, hanging out with his own set of children and with probably a few friends as well. Life seemed to roll on by so quickly.

I checked if everything I needed was with me. Food: check; flowers: check; blanket: check. _All set._ I turned the engine on and soon went on my way.

I was on my way to see the love of my life—my wife. I met her in the rain the night my parents died. I was wandering down the park as it rained torrents, my childish tears mixed with the droplets of rain on my face.

I felt small arms around my shoulders and a warm body press against mine from behind me. "Are you alright?" a girl's voice asked and I turned around to see what she looked like. A girl only slightly taller than me, her eyes green as emeralds and her hair so blond it looked like cotton candy pink against the dim lighting of the street light. Her smile was so sweet it hurt, and she was only smiling slightly then.

She bent down a little and rummaged through her pockets. She magically conjured a handkerchief and she began to clean the snot on my nose I didn't even know was there. She grimaced and pulled me out of the rain.

We sat on the second story of the slide just by the northwestern part of the small park in town square. There we had shelter, but the air was still cold because of the rain.

She sighed as she began wiping the water off of our faces "What were you doing there?" she asked, outraged as if we'd met before, "You could have gotten sick or something! My auntie always told me to keep out of the rain so I wouldn't catch pneumonia."

"What's that?" I asked innocently as I was only six years old and unaware.

"It's a deadly disease and you wouldn't wanna catch that now, would you?"

". . . No." I replied and thought, _what about her? _"What about you? You were in the rain too!"

"That's because I saw you outside from my uncle's café's window. What were you doing there just then? Being all emo and stuff? You know it's bad to be emo . . . or at least my cousin told me that."

"My parents just died." That shut her up. She was getting annoying anyway, although the silence irked me a bit.

"Oh. . ." she finally said, "I'm sorry. . ." She added in a mutter. I sighed. I hated being felt sorry for. It made me feel weak as my father usually implied when he was still alive. He'd compare me to my brother and my mother would always be there to comfort me. She'd say she would talk to my father and everything would be okay.

Who knew I'd miss that?

"That's okay. Then they'll always be here to look after you now." The girl smiled that sweet smile of hers and kissed my forehead. "There. That always makes me feel better."

I smiled. _Although she's annoying, she's quite nice_. I thought.

"I'm Sakura, by the way; Sakura Haruno. What's your name stranger?" She held out her hand for me to shake and smiled at me with genuine curiosity.

"I'm Sasuke; Sasuke Uchiha," I replied and took her hand. It was then that we became friends.

I shook my head at the memory. That was so long ago. I kept driving towards my destination and I couldn't help but notice the sunflowers lining the fields beside the road. She and used to play there with my best friend Naruto Uzumaki when we were nine. They'd chase after each other then call a truce and run after me. Only they knew where I was ticklish and always used that against me.

But one day Naruto was bitten by a stray fox and wasn't allowed to come out and play with us for a while, so Sakura and I had a serious talk about life. That was the most serious talk I've ever had at that age, and probably ever in my life.

She asked about how I was at first and I told her I was staying with my father's friend Kakashi Hatake. Then our conversation got a little bit deeper.

"So what do you want to do when you grow up?" she asked.

"I'm gonna go look for my brother and kill him," I said sincerely.

"_Kill_ him? That's bad, Sasuke! Killing people is bad and I don't want you to be like that for no good reason!"

"But he left me! I haven't seen him since the funeral and he hasn't spoken to me since that night my parents died. He isn't even living with me and Kakashi. He's evil, Sakura!"

"He may be evil, but you have to learn to forgive him." Sakura glared and me, "You can't live with hatred forever! It will consume you and have you make rash decisions that won't only affect you, but also the people around you!"

"Itachi made a rash decision by leaving me behind some person I'm not even related to!"

"_Sasuke_!" She looked at me earnestly and placed her hands on mine. She moved closer and until her face was centimeters away from mine. Her eyes looked directly into mine almost as if they were scrutinizing me. I gulped and looked directly into hers, confidence growing in me. We had that staring competition for a full three minutes before she sighed and kissed my forehead like she had done a couple of years ago.

"Don't let this eat you up Sasuke; you're better than this." Her face was serious for one minute and the next moment she put on that smile that never ceased to calm me down.

I sighed. I was better than that. She'd been the one to track down my brother and make him talk to me when we were sixteen. Turned out he couldn't face me after what happened. He'd been the one to urge our father to make a business deal that lead to his and my mother's murder. I found out that he opened a new business after our father's had been bankrupt and that I was then the uncle of three kids.

I passed the edge of the field near a spring-like gutter where Naruto, Sakura, and I saved that stray cat from drowning when we were twelve. At first I thought it was a waste of time, but then I was hit on the head so hard I could've woken up to year 3000.

"Let's call him Shadow!" Naruto suggested, nuzzling the black cat's neck. We were at his house where we always stayed. His mother, Kushina, never grew tired of us and always welcomed us into their home. She'd always been a nice lady.

"Yeah!" Sakura exclaimed, nearly making the cat jump off of Naruto's lap. "And we can play with him and watch him grow old! Then he'd have babies with a mommy cat and . . . and . . ."

"And we can take care of them too!" They said in unison. I sighed and shook my head. Those idiots.

Nah. They're my idiots.

But I'd never say that out loud! So I just sipped some juice Kushina-san served us and sat back.

"Mom," Naruto started, "Can we keep him? Please? Please? _Please_?"

"Now, Naruto, you know your father's allergic to cats."

"But _mom—_!"

"I'm sorry, love. Either Sasuke or Sakura should have to take care of him."

We stared at each other for a few seconds before Sakura said her parents didn't like to have animals in their house so I had no choice. Unfortunately, Kakashi didn't mind. His dogs were trained and, according to him, friends with any cat of mine. Ever since then Sakura and Naruto would always come over before and after school on weekdays and mornings and afternoons during weekends.

I could say Shadow helped us grow closer together, but one day he ran away. Sakura cried and wouldn't talk to me for days. Naruto had been the one to convince her it wasn't my fault. It took time, but eventually she started speaking to me again.

"I'm sorry," I'd said while we were walking home together after school. Naruto's house was the first one we'd pass.

"It's okay," she said, smiling brightly at me. "I don't blame you anymore, Sasuke. I won't blame you ever again. I'm glad Naruto convinced me it wasn't your fault." She stared at the passing clouds. "I probably would have regretted not being friends with you."

Silence fell between us as we walked past the sunflowers by the road. Summer was approaching and they'd be there all the time. I hoped Sakura would to.

I felt something light on my cheek when I noticed I stopped walking. I turned to Sakura and found her hand stretched out and held a sunflower. "It'll die soon so I pulled it out for you." I just stared. I grew up surrounded by males so I had no idea how to communicate with the female race properly. She grinned and pulled me into the field beside us. "Let's plant some sunflower seeds!"

And so we did.

Yes, my childhood was rather interesting. I didn't speak too much, and my friends usually spoke for me. I earned this reputation at school for being the 'emo guy'. Apparently, girls found this rather attractive and my status changed from the 'emo guy' to the 'mysterious guy with a few words'. I heard of talk about how girls were whispering about me in their bathrooms. This ticked me off so I tended to ignore them.

Some girls would confess their feelings for me in love letters and, occasionally, face-to-face. I would reject them, but one day Naruto and I fought about the way I acted towards the girls who like me. I explained it wasn't my fault if I didn't know how to communicate with them properly. We ended up fighting and in the principal's office. Ever since then we'd insult each other, but we were fine with it. We were practically brothers anyway.

Sakura grew distant from us. She hung out with her girlfriends Ino, Hinata, Tenten, and Temari. She'd say hi sometimes when we passed by each other, but the way she'd say it was like she was hiding something.

We were sixteen when she told me she liked me. I can never forget that day.

I was walking home from school by myself when I spotted none other than Sakura Haruno only a few meters in front of me. I contemplated for a second whether to walk to her and talk to her or just stay put on my comfortable position behind her. Eventually, throwing out my pride in the process, I silently and reluctantly approached her. I pinched her elbow and she screamed.

"Sasuke!" she gasped, a little flushed. "What are you doing?"

"Hn. You tell me. You're the one avoiding me," I replied and she hit me on the head with the book she had with her.

"I-I wasn't avoiding you."

"Hn."

We continued to walk down the usual path we took home. Sakura was unusually silent. She used to go on and on and on about her day-to-day experiences and the memories she had. Now she was silent and looking down at her feet.

"What's wrong?" I'd asked. I wished I didn't.

"What would you do if I told you I liked you?" She looked down at her feet, ahead at an imaginary object, up at the sky, and anywhere but me.

"You what?"

"I like you. There. I said it." She huffed and her breathing turned irregular. "Ugh. Sasuke, I'm sorry!" She was ready to sprint away from me when I grabbed her by the elbow and snatched her book away from her. I smirked.

"Say that again."

"Sasuke I—"

"What was that?" I pressed.

She bit her lip in the most irresistible way that made me wanna pull her over and— Sasuke Uchiha what are you thinking?

"I like you," she mumbled, looking down at her feet again.

"I didn't catch that." I walked nearer to her.

"I _like_ you."

"Can't you say that without looking at the ground?" I was right in front of her now.

"_I like you, Sasuke Uchiha_!" She was looking at me straight in the eyes when I bent down and kissed her on the forehead like she'd used to do to me when I felt sad or stressed.

"Relax." I carried her books for her as well as her bento and placed my free hand on the small of her back. "I'll walk you home."

I guess I got carried away when she said the words, but I was glad she did. Otherwise we would never have been together; I'd never have spoken to my brother; I probably would never have spoken to her normally again.

I was getting close to my destination when I passed her old house. The same house I'd been in when I asked for her parents' blessings. Thankfully they gave them and I proposed over a picnic dinner by the beach.

I'm proud to say that we saved our first kiss for until the day we got married. It was hard, but we pushed through although I wish I'd kissed her long before that day when we were both twenty-three, I in a generic tuxedo, Sakura in the most beautiful wedding dress I've ever seen, and our friends and family before us as we said our vows. I wish I'd kissed her back when we were sixteen, the moment she told me how she felt about me, right beside the sunflower field. I wish I'd kissed her back then when we spoke about my brother when we were nine. If I had known what would happen I'd have cherished every moment we had with other even more.

We had two kids together: Hajime, the eldest boy and Hikari, the youngest girl. I found out about Hajime a month after Sakura had as she planned to surprise me on Valentine's Day. That moment I kissed her on her mouth, her forehead, her nose, her eyes, and that spot on her belly where our child would probably be in. We named Hajime after the start of our family.

Hikari was a special case. The doctor said Sakura might not conceive again after Hajime for some technical reasons. She was devastated. She wouldn't eat normally for a days and I had to calm her down before she went to sleep. I never found out whether she was just on her period or she really wanted a baby; nevertheless I felt for her. I'd tell her I love her and I still would even if she couldn't conceive anymore.

Sakura wanted to try. And, after working diligently for three years after having Hajime, we succeeded. We named Hikari after the light at the end of the tunnel—the path we've gone through.

Our lives as a family went by normally; a few feuds here and there and sometimes we'd go out together. I opened a business under the Uchiha Corp. my brother had established, Sakura pursued a job in pediatrics and we were able to raise our children together until Hajime was sixteen and Hikari was thirteen.

Then the unexpected happened.

One day Hikari came screaming into my study, telling me to come with her downstairs. Right there beside the stove, Sakura was on the floor clutching her abdomen. I ran to her and held her hand.

"Sakura! Sakura, stay with me. Are you there?"

"S-sasuke . . . h-help. . ." she stuttered. Without further ado, I carried her and ordered Hikari to call her brother. I noticed she was crying. I wanted to cry too, but I had to be strong for the kids—for Sakura. Hajime and Hikari helped me put her into the backseat of my car and we rushed Sakura to the hospital.

How mocking had the weather been that day; the sun was up and a few clouds were scattered across the sky. We passed the sunflower field as it was blooming with flowers since it was summer. We reached the hospital in a short while as I was speeding and Hajime and Hikari quickly helped their mother out of the backseat. Hikari grabbed a wheel chair from a nearby nurse station and Hajime helped his mother onto the moving chair.

My children and I sat in front of the Emergency Room and waited for the doctor's instructions. Thankfully he said Sakura would be alright, but they had to perform a few tests on her first to confirm what might have happened. They transferred Sakura to a private room and as we got there Sakura slept peacefully on her bed.

Hajime and Hikari said they'd go home to get some clothes for their mother and themselves in case someone needed to stay overnight. I thanked them and they left, Hikari sparing one glance back at me, her eyes, green as her mother's, full of worry.

I said a little prayer that everything would be okay right before Sakura opened her bright green eyes and took her time to stare at me. She cupped my face and kissed my forehead. "Cheer up, Anata*." She smiled weakly at me before turning her attention to the window. "What a beautiful day." Sakura was still smiling as I sat down beside her and started combing my fingers through her hair. "Sasuke?"

"Mn?"

"Don't you think we have such wonderful children?"

I smiled the rare smile I ever give anyone and kissed her cheek. "We do."

I finally reached the cemetery and nothing has changed since the last time I've been there (which was exactly a week ago); the trees were greener than green and the sky was bluer than blue. The weather was mocking me again. I took out the materials I brought and started on foot to Sakura's headstone.

The wind was fresh as it passed me, as if it were leading me to the place I was looking for. Soon enough I got there and laid down my things. I spread the blanket on the cold grass and put the flowers by her headstone to make it look nice. Sunflowers, Sakura's favorite. I opened my flask and poured some tea on the cap and took out a sandwich and a tomato. I sighed.

It was another fine summer day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the flowers were dancing, and everything about Mother Nature was perfect.

A year, that was all God allowed us to have—long enough for a cancer patient. You see, Sakura was diagnosed of Ovarian Cancer a few days after she was run tests. Of course we talked about it—cried about it, even. Hajime was so brave as to keep a straight face when we broke the news to them; like father, like son as they say—at least that's what Sakura suggested. Hikari cried so hard it should have been raining outside while it wasn't; like mother like daughter, I told Sakura and received a rather hard punch on my arm.

But soon enough that year passed. Sakura undergone a few chemotherapy sessions lost her hair so we bought her a baby pink wig at her request; the wig surprisingly suited her despite its odd color. Apparently, chemotherapy wasn't enough as her cancer got worse; Sakura became weak and thinn and restless. She couldn't sleep at night as I stayed beside her all the time, working at home and sending documents to my secretary instead of being there myself. I missed meetings and paperwork for Sakura, but it was all worth it.

The time came one summer when the golden sun was still shining beautifully outside.

"Summer's always so beautiful, Sasuke." Sakura said weakly from my side, "Too bad I won't be able to see it anymore."

"_What_?" I said, taken aback by what she said, "No. No, don't say that Sakura."

"Sasuke . . . I'm tired. I don't want to be, but I am. . ." she looked at me with anxious eyes. "It may not look like it, but it hurts so badly."

I caressed her cheek and looked into her eyes. I could see that she was struggling, but striving to put on a happy face for us—for me. I kissed her forehead and prayed that it would all just go away.

It didn't. Sakura exhaled. "Sasuke, I'm sorry for the bad times we've had. I'm sorry for being so bad for you when you were just trying to help. . ."

"No, Sakura I—"

"Thank you for times we've shared, whether with our friends or with just each other. Thank you for Hajime and Hikari. They're the best kids I've ever had to handle."

"Wait—"

"Thank _you._" She was crying now. I didn't know what to do. I knew why she was saying all this, but I didn't want to accept it. "Thank _you_ for being a wonderful man, husband, and friend to me. I love you."

"Sakura, I love you too. Stop. Don't . . . don't say anything. _Please_."

"Sasuke, be strong; for Hajime and Hikari—for me. Tell them I love them more than anything."

"Sakura, no, please."

"I'm tired, please understand. I'm want to press on, but I can't any longer."

"Sakura, _please listen_."

"Yes?"

"If it weren't for you I'd probably be in a bloody mess right now. You saved me from myself. Thank _you_." I wanted to say so much more. I know I didn't have much time and I didn't want to prolong her pain. I decided to put all of my feelings into three words—words that I meant and would forever mean truly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Sakura's breathing was course. She kissed me on my forehead one last time before she passed on. I held her in my arms for who knows how long. I didn't care. I just sat there, staring into nothing until I noticed the sunset. The door was opened as Hajime and Hikari entered.

Hikari dropped the bag she held and ran to the bed I sat on. "Wh-what. . .?"

I shook my head weakly and then she cried. Hajime moved towards his sister and stroked her back, his own tears coming down.

"She wanted me to tell you she loved you two more than anything." I told them after the funeral.

"Dad?" Hikari said, "Does it hurt as much as it hurts us?"

". . . I think it hurts more than that."

"Why?"

"Because I spent my whole life with her."

The epitaph read _Sakura Uchiha, a loving friend, mother and wife_. She'd been excited about using that name ever since we'd started dating, she said. Oh, how I miss her. I know I'm not the type of guy that openly expresses my feelings as to why people put me under the category of lethargic. But when it comes to the people I love, it comes out naturally.

I lay down on my blanket and started at the clouds. They moved slowly as the wind pushed them about.

"Ah, Sasuke. What a pleasant surprise," a familiar voice said from behind me.

"Kakashi." I sat up and looked at the man whom brought me up after my parents had died. "Visiting Obito and Rin like you used to, I see."

"Yes, well I see you're visiting Sakura again."

I shrugged. What did he expect me to do? Not visit at all?

"I _do_ miss her, you know. You used to say she was quite annoying after your friends have left the house to visit Shadow."

"Hn."

"You know, that cat never left home. He visited once in a while until a few years later and he probably died of old age."

"Aa."

"You never told your friends?"

"I told Sakura once."

"That's good."

Silence came between us again until Kakashi started walking away. "I'll come and visit you and the kids soon!" He called and I just smiled.

'_Thank you, Kakashi_,'I thought. I sat still for a moment until I felt a familiar presence.

"I miss you." I told the air. Just then I felt a cold breeze on my forehead. It's been so long since I felt that.

xoxo

*anata = darling

Hajime = start, beginning

Hikari = light

Notes: Hi. So I made this spur of the moment oneshot all because of this certain song by Trading Yesterday. Haha! I'm sorry if it's lacking, but I do hope you all enjoyed it. :) Please review and tell me what you honestly think about this story. It isn't much though. HAHA. Keep it constructive friends. :)

Lovelots.


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